Starting from September 1949, several DC-4s of Cathay Pacific were purchased. The DC-4 that was shot down was an improved C-54 civil aircraft purchased by 1949, with registration number VR-HEU and serial number: 103 10. The original model is C-54A- 10-DC, which was produced in 1944. The name of this plane in Cathay Pacific Airlines is "Blade". By the time of the incident, the plane had flown 15279 hours. DC-4 is a civilian version of the C-54 (SKYMASTER) four-engine large military transport aircraft. After the design is completed, 1 163 aircraft is produced as a military aircraft C-54. After the end of World War II, production of civilian DC-4 began, of which 79 were discontinued. As military surplus, a large number of C-54s have been converted into civil aircraft, commonly known as DC C-54. In fact, DC-4 and C-54 are usually called together, and there is no need to make a more detailed division. At that time, many transport planes in the United States were built in this way, and they are still in use today, such as C-47DC-3. It is normal to call this kind of aircraft C-54 in military history. Although there is suspicion of emphasizing the military color of this aircraft, it is impeccable. The DC-4 carries 44 passengers, which is almost doubled by using high-density layout. Roosevelt's Air Force No.1 and Chiang Kai-shek's aircraft were all modified with C-54, which belonged to the large aircraft at that time and had good safety. The disadvantage of C-54 is that there is no airtight cabin, and the height above 4000 meters makes passengers very uncomfortable. The lack of airtight cabin may be the reason why the cabin did not appear destructive damage after the attack. Compression chamber will generate internal high pressure, and punching a big hole in the toilet may have serious consequences. At that time, the military transport plane was very strong. Except for the engine, fuel tank, cockpit and other key parts, several holes in the fuselage and wing usually do not affect the flight. DC-4, a plane with a strong military flavor, flies over hot spots, which is even more dangerous for no reason. An Air France DC-4 was attacked by two MIG-15 before landing in Berlin on April 29th, 952, and three passengers were injured. A Swedish C-54 was shot down by Israeli warplanes on1October 24th, 1953, killing all 35 people on board.
A source said that Cathay Pacific discussed the route before the incident, because the pilot found that Sanya was building an airport with an asphalt runway, which could take off and land propeller planes. Cathay Pacific did not move its route south, because there has never been a problem with the route passing through Hainan. At that time, the air corridor passed through the south of Sanya, and there were many accounts abroad, which may be caused by the different descriptions of the attack site and the forced landing site, or it may be a deliberate cover-up. On the route, it is obvious that Sanya Airport will not be too far away from China's airspace. Sanya military airport was not put into use because China Air Force just arrived in Hainan Island. Due to factors such as supply security, not every airport can be used. On the one hand, the air force personnel stationed in Sanya are responsible for contacting the air and sea escort aircraft, on the other hand, ensuring the smooth flow of confidential information in Yulin Port. At present, there is no information to show that the China Air Force escort aircraft had contact with the civil aviation aircraft flying in the air corridor before the incident. According to one source, British civil aircraft were intercepted occasionally before, and China fighters left after simulated attacks. After the incident, French seaplanes arrived first, Britain sent rescue planes from Hong Kong, and the United States sent planes from the Philippines, indicating that multinational planes were active in this area at that time. In this air corridor or China fighter escort area, China fighters may have contacted aircraft from other countries, but the statement that civilian aircraft have contacted China fighters is thin and unreliable. In South China, the 18 Division has three MIG-15 regiments, the 20th Division has a Tu -2 bomber regiment, and the 29th Division has a La- 1 1 regiment. Subsequently, the 85th regiment La- 1 1 of the 29th Division of the Air Force was stationed at Haikou Airport, which was the first time that an aviation unit was stationed in Hainan Island. The former Air Force was in Sanya. In addition to daily double-plane patrols, they also went to the distant sea to welcome merchant ships to Yulin Port, and carried out patrol and escort missions over the merchant ships. There is also a big loophole in the air defense of Hainan Island, and the radar information to the air cannot cover the whole island. After many successful merchant escorts, on July 23rd, two LAs-11patrolled normally and found a main engine over the southern waters of Yulin Port. Cao Zhenbang, deputy commander of the ground command aviation 18 division, ordered to find out the situation, but two pilots mistakenly thought it was a national army plane and shot it down without authorization.
The attack of La- 1 1 was quite successful, which directly damaged one engine and set another engine on fire. In this case, in addition to the solid design, DC 4 also relies on the superb technology of the driver. It is a miracle that the Australian captain not only maneuvered to avoid when he was attacked, but also successfully landed at sea. It was Cao Zhenbang, deputy commander of the Air Force 18 Division, not the 29th Division of the Air Force. Both the Soviet Union and China regard La- 1 1 as the Tu -2 escort fighter, because the Tu -2 bomber with propeller is not suitable for formation with jet fighters, and it is difficult for La- 1 1 to seize air superiority with jet fighters. China deployed MiG-15 in South China, and instead deployed La- 1 1 and Tu -2. Obviously, it used La- 1 1 as the escort of ships and Tu -2 bombers, instead of putting La- 1 1 into battle to seize air superiority. MiG-15 is not suitable for long-term low-speed escort ships because of its fast flight speed and short blank time. Kong 29 division has just been transferred to South China and is a stranger. It is appropriate for Kong 18 Division to conduct temporary frontline command.
The 85th Regiment and 20th Aviation Division were in the air force sequence transferred from the operational plan of Yijiangshan Island in August of that year 1 1. At the end of the year, the two armies were stationed at the same airport to participate in the coastal operations in eastern Zhejiang. La- 1 1 mainly carried out photo reconnaissance and cover bombing in eastern Zhejiang, and also launched an attack on Chenda Island. The 54th Regiment of Kong 18 Division was transferred to Shanghai before that year 1 1 month to assist Kong 2 Division in air defense duty. Kong29 Division was established from the end of 1953 to the beginning of 1954, when the regiment La- 1 1 was sent to Haikou. In addition to the possibility that Tu -2 regiment was originally stationed in Haikou, it is also possible that the air 18 division has not yet completed its operational preparations. Although the 85th Regiment was newly formed, one of the main difficulties at that time was the lack of pilots. There are more effective propeller fighter pilots, which is much easier than forming MIG-15 regiment.
Kong/KOLOC-0/8 Division participated in the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea in/KOLOC-0/952 (China transferred all the combat regiments equipped with MIG/KOLOC-0/5 to the Korean battlefield at that time), and the 52nd and 54th regiments went into battle as frontline troops and made some achievements, and returned to Guangzhou in/KOLOC-0/953. At the beginning of 1954, when Hu Lin was appointed as the deputy division commander of 18 division, Liu Yalou, commander of the air force, demanded that 18 division be taken out as soon as possible, and Hu Lin also thought that 18 division could hardly be fought. At the end of 1952, the air force expanded the system of two regiments per division into three regiments. The air defense of the Central South Military Region needs complex meteorological conditions and night operations. These reasons may cause the air force to think that 18 airborne divisions can't fight. Under general meteorological conditions, the air 18 division has combat capability, although it cannot be said that the whole division has combat capability. 1954165438+1October, Mao Zedong inspected Guangzhou, and the Air Force switched the 4th Aviation Division with the strongest combat effectiveness with the 8th Aviation Division, and the 52nd and 53rd regiments were transferred to Anshan to change their clothes. Nevertheless, during Mao Zedong's stay in Guangzhou, Kuomintang military planes continued to harass and some fruitless battles broke out. The air force and navy are equally difficult to fight in the east coast of Zhejiang. When aviation units first entered eastern Zhejiang, Zhang Aiping could mobilize only two pilots who could take off and fight, so it took a lot of effort to organize training. Tu -2 bomber regiment specially conducted bombing training for sea targets, and conducted a high-density attack drill for ships in Hangzhou Bay, and then bombed Yijiangshan Island. According to the above information and a large number of memoirs, the quality of pilots in China Air Force was poor at that time, and the ace unit was Air 4 Division. The pilots of the Air 4 Division were basically trained by the Japanese in the old aviation school in Northeast China, and were often attacked by Kuomintang military aircraft, so the pilots felt very good on the battlefield. MiG-15 took a long time to change planes during training, had a good flying feeling and was skilled in aircraft technology, and achieved good results in the Korean battlefield.
After receiving DC-4 on 1949, Cathay Pacific opened routes such as Kolkata, Saigon and Brunei. This DC-4 carried out the Singapore-Bangkok-Hong Kong route that day. It is doubtful that the Indian route recorded in the military history may be the starting point of the popular multi-day segmented flight in India at that time. The French plane that arrived first and the British plane that arrived later lacked further information, especially when the French plane flew in from patrol. I didn't find out the specific situation. The American SA- 16A rescue team was rewarded afterwards, and Captain Woodyard won the Excellent Flying Cross. Nine people died on board 18, which was confirmed by many more formal documents and parties. /kloc-the military history record of 0/8 deaths is temporarily in doubt. One possible explanation is that China paid compensation and the death toll should be ascertained. Of the 10 people who may be rescued, 1 0 people died of serious injuries in the hospital.